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1  he  City  &?  Country  Sckool 

formerly 

THE  PLAY  SCHOOL 

14    MacDougal   Alley 
New   York 

1919-1920 


TEACHING  STAFF 
Caroline   Pratt,   Director 
Nelliii  M.  Hill,  Secretary 

Edith  Day  Phyllis  S.  Kerr 

Caroline  D.  Emerson  Marjorie  McLennan 

Harriet  Forbes  Mary  B.  Miller 

Laura  Garrett  Mildred  Foster  Peterson 

Harriette  Hubbell  Leila  V.   Stott 


AUXILIARY  TO  THE  STAFF 

BuFORD  Johnson,  Psycholojiist 

Edith  Lincoln,  Physician 

Mary  S.  Marot,  Recorder 

Veda  Elvin,  School  Visitor 

Lucy  Sprague  Mitchell,  Stories 

3 


82650 


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L  B 


A  WORD  OF  EXPLANATION 

We  are  constantly  asked,  especially  by  parents  who  are  try- 
ing to  place  their  children  in  what  they  consider  a  good  school, 
how  our  school  differs  from  the  kindergarten,  and  again  how 
it  differs  from  the  Montessori  schools. 


The  kindergarten  is  a  system  of  teaching.  It  undertakes  to 
teach  children  to  play  in  such  a  way  that  through  the  process 
they  will  become  educated.     The  formal  kindergarten  is  fixed 

I  ^  and  arbitrary,  as  much  so  as  any  school  system.  It  acknowl- 
edges the  acti\ities  of  children  in  general  but  not  their  indi- 
viduality. It  attempt,'  to  socialize  activities  at  a  time  which 
is  prettv    .iicn' .ally  acknowledged  to  be  a  period   of   individual 

^  develf  pment. 

This  is  only  partially  true  of  some  of  the  "radical"  kinder- 
gartens. They  have  modified  their  practice  so  as  to  permit 
more  individual  play,  but  even  so  it  is  not  unfair  to  say  that 
these  kindergartens  are  teaching  systems  in  the  main. 

,    N^  The  Montessori  system  is  a  system  of  training.     It  gives  the 

^V)  children  more  freedom  in   their  environment  than  the  kinder- 

garten. That  is,  the  children  may  move  about  and  choose 
what  they  will  do.  The  material  from  which  they  choose, 
however,  is  training  material.  Instead  of  the  teacher  as  a 
trainer  the  odium  is  thrown  upon  the  insensitive  blocks,  bits  of 
fabric,  weights,  sand  paper  letters  and  figures.  This  training 
material  the  children  may  rmX.  use  freely  to  carry  out  purposes 
of  their  own.  but  they  mu«t  do  that  one  thing  for  which  the 
material  is  designed.  So  the  freedom  of  choice  lies  between 
a  very  limited   set  of   activities. 

One  of  the  sicrn-  of  the  passing  of  babyhood  is  to  be  found 
in    the   growurj   nurposeru  n?ss   of   children's   activities.      Ther 


want  to  do  something  with  the  thing  they  construct.  They 
want  a  goal,  whether  they  reach  it  or  not.  The  Montessori 
material  stops  short  of  this.  The  activities  do  not  function 
from  the  child's  point  of  view.  They  build  a  stair,  but  the 
stair  has  no  purpose.  It  isn't  applied  to  anything.  The  atti- 
tude is  well  illustrated  by  a  teacher  who  visited  our  school. 
She  saw  boats  and  bridges  in  process  of  building.  She  acknowl- 
edged the  \  alue  of  this  constructive  work:  "but,"  she  said, 
■'what  do  you  do  when  they  want  to  play  with  these  construc- 
tions?" This  is  a  fairly  typical  attitude  of  the  person  who 
sees  a  school  merely  as  a  training  place  for  children. 

Our  school  regards  bcjth  a  teaching  system  and  a  training 
system  with  suspicion.  Indeed,  it  aims  not  to  be  a  system 
at  all.  It  aims  to  be  the  very  opposite — an  experiment.  It 
tries  to  be  a  part  of  the  environment  of  the  children,  and  in  this 
part  to  study  them  and  meet  their  intrinsic  requirements  while 
they  grou\  We  know  we  can't  tetich  them  to  grow — w^e  can 
only  furnish  the  conditions  for  growth  in  so  far  as  we  know 
them.  We  can't  train  them  to  grow.  Our  knowledge  is  too 
limited  to  permit  us  to  train  them.  We  know  neither  the  goals 
towards  which  they  should  aim  nor  the  natures  of  the  children 
sufficiently  to  train  them.  Children  are  different  from  apples 
for  example.  Their  term  of  preparation  for  a  place  in  the 
world  is  longer,  making  it  possible  that  all  the  conditions  may 
change  in  this  training  period ;  also,  their  natures  are  more 
complex.  While  training  one  part — such  as  the  senses — we 
may  put  into  operation  the  very  things  that  will  stultify  some 
other  part.  Growth  takes  place  as  a  whole,  and  no  training 
system  has  been  devised  which  recognizes  this  fundamental 
fact.  The  only  thing  we  can  do  is  to  furnish  conditions  for 
grow'th,  taking  care  that  the  conditions  include  a  recognition 
that  the  "appetite"  of  each  child  must  be  considered  or  he 
won't  attack  the  conditions.  Our  desire  is  to  be  as  scientific 
as  dietitians  are  becoming.  They  analvze  food  properties,  de- 
termine which  properties  are  essential   to  growth,   and  provide 

6 


sufficient  variety  so  that  the  appetite  of  each  person  is  appealed 
to.  The  flow  of  the  saliva  and  the  gastric  juice  which  make 
digestion  possible  is  dependent  upon  whether  the  food  appeals  to 
the  person.  If  there  is  no  appetite,  causes  are  sought.  It  is  a 
sign  of  lack  of  health  in  some  direction. 

We  are  using  just  such  means  to  establish  tlie  physical  health 
of  the  children  in  the  City  and  Country  School.  It  is  a  more 
difficult  matter  to  work  out  such  a  plan  for  general  growth,  but 
we  aim  to  do  this  uork  with  the  help  of  numerous  people  trained 
for  special  parts  of  it. 

While  we  are  not  a  teaching  system  nor  a  training  system,  a 
great  deal  of  good  teaching  goes  on,  and  training  is  connected 
with  everything  the  children  undertake.  The  difference  is  a  dif- 
ference in  general  method.  The  children  are  carrying  on  things 
in  which  they  are  interested.  They  have  the  necessary  "appe- 
tite" for  what  they  are  doing — the  appetite  which  releases  the 
whole  performance  and  makes  it  possible  for  the  organism  to 
work  as  a  whole.  The  teacher  is  there  to  enrich  each  individual 
child's  performance ;  to  awaken  and  help  him  to  satisfy  his  curi- 
osity; to  direct  him  to  sources  of  information;  to  help  him  to 
adjust  his  social  difficulties. 

Each  group  consists  of  about  ten  children,  beginning  with 
three-year-olds  and  extending  to  and  including  a  group  of  eight- 
year-olds. 

The  program  in  general  consists  of  trips  for  all  except  the 
youngest,  and  the  expression  of  what  they  get  from  the  trips 
and  other  sources  in  the  school  rooms  and  yards. 

On  trips  the  life  of  the  city  is  opened  up  to  them  in  a  new 
and  thrilling  manner ;  the  teacher  in  each  group  tries  to  arouse 
the  habit  of  observation ;  to  raise  interest  and  by  stimulating  the 
children's  inquiry  to  get  them,  in  joyous  competition  with  other 
members  of  the  class,  to  discover  for  themselves  the  relation- 
ships that  lie  between  the  humming  activities  of  the  streets  and 
the  needs  of  the  community  at  large.  The  world  for  them  to 
become  discoverers  in  and  eager  inquirers  about  is  thus  thrown 

7 


open  to  them  as  a  part  of  their  school  experience  at  a  very  early 
age.  The  materials  in  the  school  are  selected  with  the  thought 
of  having  ready  at  the  children's  hands,  playthings  which  will 
give  them  fascinating  opportunities  to  dramatize  the  world  with 
which  they  are  becoming  acquainted.  There  are  blocks  to  build 
railroads  and  houses  and  stations  and  stables  with,  horses  and 
carts  that  they  may  harness  exactly  as  the  horses  on  the  streets 
are  harnessed,  drawing  materials  that  they  can  use  for  the  free 
expression  of  whatever  stored-up  impressions  they  carry  in  their 
minds,  clay  to  be  moulded  into  the  shape  of  whatever  they  wish, 
a  bench  and  tools  to  make  toys;  scissors,  paste,  wood. 

The  four-  and  five-year  groups  we  try  to  interest  in 
transportation.  On  the  trips,  cars,  coal  wagons,  ferry  boats, 
tug  boats  with  their  trains  of  freighted  barges,  trains,  delivery 
carts,  become  the  subject  of  inquiry:  What  are  they  carrying? 
Where  are  they  going?  What  makes  them  go?  What  would 
happen  if  they  stopped  going?  During  these  two  years  they 
are  left  to  their  own  initiative,  little  interference  on  the  teach- 
ers' part  obstructs  their  freedom  of  action  and  thought ;  they 
learn  how  to  observe,  and  bring  forth  wonderful  results  from 
their  association  of  these  two  habits.  In  this  manner  each  child 
throws  out  lines  in  every  direction,  which  indicate  to  the  teacher 
where  individual  teaching  can  be  applied  later  on. 

In  the  next  groups  a  more  definite  program  is  used.  The 
six-year-old  children  begin  to  study  food ;  their  trips  are  in  con- 
nection with  this  subject,  there  are  discussions  in  which  the  dis- 
tribution and  preparation  of  food  is  taken  up  and  worked  out 
carefully.  Dramatizations  ensue,  and  are  encouraged  as  a 
means  of  vivid  interpretation.  When  lunch  is  being  prepared 
in  the  kitchen  they  help  the  cooking  teacher.  Each  in  his 
turn  has  an  opportunity  to  go  with  her  to  market ;  each  is 
given  a  chance  to  collect  the  luncheon  money  and  keep  the 
books.  They  also  play  store.  By  these  methods  the  children 
learn  all  the  fundamental  arithmetical  processes  before  they 
handle  large  numbers,  and  learn  them  in  such  a  practical  way 
that  we  feel  certain  arithmetic  will  never  be  a  bug-bear  to  them. 


Each  child  in  the  six-year  group  knows  how  to  handle  a  foot 
rule  because  experiments  in  carpentry  have  made  this  necessary. 
They  know  the  divisions  of  an  inch,  and  thus  have  a  practical 
basis  for  the  understanding  of  fractions. 

There  has  been  and  will  be  in  future,  a  definite  effort  to 
give  the  children  of  seven  and  eight  years  of  age  real  experiences 
in  connection  with  their  food,  shelter,  clothing  and  transporta- 
tion program.  They  will  have  a  period  when  the  whole  re- 
sponsibility of  planning,  marketing,  estimating  cost  and  serving 
their  own  luncheon  will  be  given  them.  Their  shop  work  will 
be  so  arranged  that  it  will  contain  experiences  rather  than 
lessons.  It  is  hoped  that  these  older  children  will  begin  to  make 
the  farm  theirs.  Their  Spring  experience  should  be  preparation 
for  life  out  there.  As  the  groups  develop  in  strength,  self- 
reliance  and  knowledge  of  practical  things,  it  will  be  possible 
for  them  to  construct  a  real  shelter  for  themselves,  equip  it  and 
look  after  their  own  needs  for  a  season.  It  is  an  integral  part 
of  the  school  plan  to  have  the  farm  serve  as  a  basis  for  carrying 
out  larger  schemes  of  self-expressive  and  self-reliant  effort  than 
are  possible  in  the  city. 

Real  experiences  such  as  have  been  spoken  of  contain  im- 
plications which  for  the  sake  of  clearer  understanding  we  may 
term  arithmetic,  science,  geography,  history.  It  is  no  part  of 
the  school's  purpose  to  neglect  these  implications  but  on  the 
contrary  to  make  them  so  vivid  through  experience  that  they 
will  never  lose  significance  in  the  lives  of  the  children. 

Arithmetic  is  practical.  The  children  measure  and  construct 
according  to  measurements.  They  learn  to  multiply,  add,  di- 
vide and  subtract  inches  and  feet.  They  estimate  costs  of 
luncheons  and  buy  their  separate  articles.  They  are  drilled 
on  these  processes  so  that  they  will  be  able  to  save  time  in 
making  computations  and  they  accept  the  drill  cheerfully  be- 
cause they  realize  the  necessity.  They  are  given  problems  simi- 
lar to  those  they  meet  in  practise  and  they  make  up  problems 
for  each  other. 

9 


They  begin  geography  at  five  when  they  make  their  trips 
into  the  big  world  and  take  account  of  direction.  Wiien  six, 
they  are  pretty  well  equipped  to  go  over  their  trips  on  a  smaller 
scale  on  the  school  floor.  They  begin  to  plan  their  trips  ahead 
by  reference  to  a  map.  At  seven  years  of  age  they  are  ready 
for  map  making  on  a  large  scale.  They  know  the  neighbor- 
hood and  the  general  large  thoroughfares  and  the  direction  they 
take. 

History  is  approached  from  the  present.  The  yesterday  of 
transportation,  of  food  and  of  shelter  and  clothing  is  logically 
approached  from  today  and  is  incidental  to  every  discussion  of 
present  day  problems. 

Scie77ce  is  to  be  experimented  with  in  the  future  by  ex- 
plaining the  things  which  surround  the  children  and  giving 
them  opportunities  for  application  of  principles  through  con- 
struction. The  chance  to  express  what  they  get  is  to  be  left 
open  to  the  older  children  as  it  has  been  to  the  3'ounger. 

Reading  and  writing  will  be  given  opportunity  in  special 
ways, — reading  as  a  new  tool  of  acquisition  and  writing  a  new 
tool  of  expression. 

Tentative  detailed  programs  of  the  children's  work  in  the 
two  older  classes  may  be  obtained  by  parents  on  application  to 
the  ofKce  or  class  room  teacher. 

The  children  of  the  three  older  groups  are  expected  to  spend 
two  summer  months  at  the  farm.  It  is  too  early  to  do  more 
than  indicate  a  summer  program.  This  first  summer  the  gar- 
den and  a  way  of  making  the  most  of  it  was  pretty  well  estab- 
lished. One  of  the  teachers  had  charge  of  the  garden.  It  was 
her  laboratory  and  the  place  where  she  met  the  children  and 
helped  them  to  become  scientific  and  constructive  at  the  same 
time.  She  had  the  help  at  intervals  of  a  scientist  who  made 
the  garden  "hindrances"  the  subject  of  science  lessons.  The 
science  was  practical  and  applied  then  and  there.  The  con- 
structive result  was  plenty  of  delicious  fresh  vegetables.  The 
extension  of   tliis  will   he  to  the  fruit  on   the  place  and   to  the 

10 


canning,  drying,  and  preserving  for  tlie  winter.  Looking  for- 
ward to  the  time  when  the  children  are  old  enough  to  market 
their  produce  and  carry  on  a  business,  one  can  predict  efficient 
practical  intelligent  youth  with  something  of  dependable  value 
with  which  to  start  the  business  of  living.  The  household 
must  be  treated  in  the  same  way.  There  must  be  a  person  in 
charge  of  the  household  who  will  regard  the  home  as  her 
laboratory  and  opportunity  for  getting  a  constructive  and  scien- 
tific program  over  to  the  children. 

The  play  of  the  children  as  it  works  out  in  constructive 
processes  must  also  be  in  charge  of  a  person  specially  fitted  for 
it.  We  have  in  mind  the  working  out  of  interesting  occupa- 
tion along  the  bed  of  the  stream.  The  play  materials  will 
be  such  things  as  clay,  sand,  lumber,  cement  and  their  applica- 
tion to  the  stream.  Big  cooperative  play  projects  will  be  given 
every  opportunity'  and  help.  Most  of  the  teachers  swim  and 
love  out  of  door  sports.  They  tramp,  work  and  play  with 
the  children,  and  teach  them  incidentally  the  joy  of  living  out 
of  doors. 


11 


SPECIAL  WORK 

Lessons  in  music  are  given  twice  a  week  to  all  the  groups. 
The  aim  of  these  lessons  is  to  develop  a  genuine  love  for  music 
in  each  child  and  to  give  him  the  use  of  his  singing  voice  as  one 
means  for  its  expression. 

Care  is  taken  to  use  only  such  music  as  shall  be  of  value  and 
to  connect  it,  as  often  as  possible,  with  the  special  interest  and 
study  of  each  group. 

In  the  first  and  second  groups  we  arouse  interest  in  music, 
give  the  children  songs  they  can  enjoy  and  understand — songs 
they  can  express  themselves  in  and  through  which  we  begin  to 
develop  the  sense  of  rhythm  and  pitch.  The  use  of  the  tone- 
bars  and  simple  musical  instruments  gives  an  additional  means 
for  self-expression. 

In  the  third  group  songs  again  are  used  as  the  basis  of  develop- 
ment, adding  simple  rhythm  and  pitch  devices. 

The  fourth  group  adds  to  its  fund  of  song  material  a  definite 
knowledge  and  use  of  intervals.  Especial  attention  is  given  in 
this  group  to  the  setting  of  short  exercises  to  original  tunes. 

A  very  fascinating  interest  is  offered  the  children  once  every 
week  when  a  teacher  arrives  with  animals  and  a  fund  of 
knowledge  about  the  biological  sciences.  The  animals  are  gen- 
erally brought  in  pairs,  and  with  the  subtlest  gift  of  imagina- 
tion the  children  are  given  a  fine  and  delicate  approach  to  sex 
knowledge.  They  are  taught  a  love  and  interest  in  animals,  the 
careful  handling  and  care  of  them.  This  is  often  the  medium 
for  breaking  down  the  fears  of  nervous  children,  the  interest  in 
the  animals  becoming  so  intense  that  they  lose  their  timidity 
in  curiosity  and  enthusiasm. 

12 


Health  is  to  be  an  integral  part  of  the  program  of  the 
school  in  the  future.  That  is,  the  children  are  to  look  after 
their  own  health  through  greater  attention  to  nutritive  values 
of  food,  rest  periods  and  fresh  air.  After  a  doctor's  examina- 
tion and  attention  to  chronic  or  organic  difficulties,  the  children 
will  be  taught  to  care  for  their  bodies  as  they  are  taught  to 
care  for  any  of  their  possessions.  The  help  of  parents  will  be 
enlisted   in   carrying  out   this  part  of   the   program. 

In  attempting  to  center  the  activities  of  the  children  in  the 
immediate  and  present  rather  than  the  remote  and  past  it  has 
been  found  that  there  is  little  literature  written  for  children 
which  serves  to  vivify  their  experiences.  To  supply  this  need 
a  study  of  the  forms  children  naturally  use  to  express  them- 
selves as  well  as  the  content  they  are  interested  ■'",  is  being 
made  and  stories  written  in  accordance  Vv  ith  thes^  findings. 
This  work  has  in  it  as  a  possibility  not  only  the  creation  of  a 
new  literature  for  children  but  ns  well  an  approach  to  the 
creation  of   literature  which   tlie   children   mav  themselves  use. 


THE  FARM 

The  older  children  are  expected  to  spend  two  summer  months 
at  the  school  farm.  The  farm  is  situated  five  miles  from  Hope- 
well Junction,  a  station  on  the  Central  New  England  Railway. 
It  is  reached  by  a  train  connection  at  Beacon,  New  York,  a  sta- 
tion on  the  New  York  Central.  The  farm  has  unlimited  re- 
sources as  a  sch.jol  farm.  It  contains  a  good  sized  stream,  a 
hundred  acres  of  woodland  and  pasture  and  fifty  acres  of  tillable 
land.  The  main  house  has  been  built  for  the  children  and 
teachers  and  the  farm  house  has  been  converted  into  livable 
quarters  to  supplement  the  main  house.  There  is  plenty  of 
running  water  with  shower  baths  and  near  by  pools  for  bathing. 
There  are  play  grounds  along  the  stream.     This  summer,  one 

13 


acre  of  land  was  tilled  and  kept  the  famil}-  of  twenty  people 
in  fresh  vegetables.  Most  of  the  work  after  the  first  planting 
was  done  by  the  children  and  teachers.  The  children  helped 
to  slather  the  vegetables  and  prepare  them  for  cooking  before 
they  were  taken  to  the  house.  They  learned  to  recognize  many 
of  the  garden  enemies,  the  most  persistent  of  which,  weeds, 
they  fought  all  during  the  summer.  The  children  picked  out 
the  best  plants  for  seed  and  set  them  aside  to  be  gathered 
when  ripe.  They  gathered,  labelled  and  put  them  away  for  use 
next  summer,   thus  connecting  the  work  of   two  summers. 


14 


SCHOOL  KOOMS  AND  PLAYGKOUNDS 

Each  group  has  a  rouin  to  itself,  sunny,  luminously  decorated 
rooms  that  have  an  atmosphere  of  light  and  laughter  and  color. 
They  seem  somehow  to  suggest  when  you  enter  them  the  joyous 
mood  of  childhood.  The  three  youngest  classes  are  at  No.  30 
MacDougal  Alley,  and  the  three  oldest  at  No.  14  MacDougal 
Alley.  Both  these  buildings  have  pleasant  yards.  They  are 
equipped  with  see-saws,  cross-bars,  slides  and  climbing  poles ; 
as  well  as  carts,  wheelbarrows  and  shovels,  and  large  and  small 
packing  boxes.  Each  group  has  at  least  an  hour  in  the  morn- 
ing for  outdoor  play,  and  for  the  children  who  come  in  the 
afternoon   another   hour   is  offered. 

The  Bureau  of  Educational  Experiments  furnishes  to  the 
City  and  Country  School  its  Auxiliary  Staff  enumerated  on  the 
title  page.  Under  a  Buieau  Committee  the  eight-year-old  class 
has  been  added  and  is  bemg  taught  by  Miss  Emerson.  I'he  de- 
velopment of  the  school  beyond  the  seventh  year  is  to  be  a  uni- 
fied effort  on  the  part  of  both  staffs.  It  is  hoped  the  result 
will  be  a  school  which  will  extend  as  far  as  high  school. 

The  health  program  is  a  Bureau  experiment  conducted  by 
Miss  Forbes,  who  teaches  the  children  of  the  older  groups. 


HOURS,  LUNCHEON  AND  REST  PEKOID 

School  begins  at  9  a.  m.  '^J'he  morning  session  ends  at  12. 
The  three-  and  four-year-old  children  do  not  stay  for  lunch,  but 
the  older  children  remain,  if  the  parents  are  willing,  and  have 
both  lunch  and  a  rest  afterwards  at  the  school.  The  charges 
for  lunch  will  be  no  more  than  the  cost  of  the  food  and  the 
children  will  be  asked  to  bring  the  money  every  day.  The 
afternoon   session   begins   at    1:30  and    lasts  until    3:30. 

15 


16 


TUITION 

There  is  no  fixed  price  for  tuition.  The  parents  arc  asked 
to  pay  what  they  feel  they  can  afford.  There  are  scholarships 
provided  for  those  children  whose  parents  art  cagf^r  «•  >  enter 
their  children  for  the  whole  school  course  and  feel  unable  to 
pay   anything. 

CALENDAR      ' 

The   school  opens  Wednesday,  October  first. 

Christmas  and  other  holidays  will  be  at  the  same  time  the 
Public  Schools  have  theirs,  with  the  exception  of  the  Easter 
holiday.  This  will  begin  the  Thursday  before  Easter  and  con- 
tinue to  the  end  of  the  week  following. 

The  winter  school  will  close  June  first. 

The  summer  school  for  children  of  six  and  over  will  open  at 
Hopewell  Junction,   N.  Y.,  the  first  of  July. 


Parents  are  expected  to  register  the  children  during  the  week 
preceding  the  opening,  any  morning  from  ten  to  twelve  o'clock. 


17 

62650 


WOFkD  TO  MOTHERS 

So  careful  a  study  is  made  of  each  and  every  child  in  the 
school,  so  keen  is  the  interest  of  the  teachers  in  any  prob- 
lem relating  to  the  child's  welfare,  that  there  is  a  great  eager- 
ness on  the  part  of  the  whole  staff  to  co-operate  wnth  the 
mothers  in  discussion  about  everything  concerning  the  children, 
their  home  and  school  life.  Problems  of  school  often  throw 
new  light  on  problems  of  home,  and  the  problems  of  home 
arc  of  the  greatest  importance  to  the  teachers  if  they  are  to 
deal  intelligently  with  the  children.  Every  other  week  the 
school  plans  to  have  mothers'  and  teachers'  meetings,  and  it  is 
hoped  that  the  mothers  will  feel  free  to  come  to  them  with 
criticism  of  the  school  if  they  have  any,  with  problems,  with 
ideas  and  suggestions.  The  school  wants  to  keep  the  allegiance 
and  interest  of  the  mothers.  By  all  that  has  gone  before  it  will 
be  clear  to  mothers  who  have  the  intention,  for  convenience 
sake  alone,  of  leaving  their  children  in  the  school  for  a  few 
months,  that  we  do  not  care  to  take  children  under  such  con- 
ditions. We  want  the  children  whose  parents  we  can  rely  upon 
to  co-operate  with  us  from  year  to  year.  We  ask  them  to 
interest  themselves  in  the  school's  purposes  and  ideals  and  we 
are  in  hope  that  from  time  to  time  the  knowledge  that  we  have 
gained  in  the  study  of  their  children  may  be  of  service  to  them. 
But  more  than  this  we  hope  that  our  conferences  together  may 
contribute  to  the  solution  of  some  of  the  many  intricate  prob- 
lems of  childhood. 

18 


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